As men age they are likely to suffer from andropausal syndrome (AS), also called ‘menopause’, androgen deficiency in the aging male (ADAM), or late-onset hypogonadism. Men with AS have decreased levels of anabolic hormones, including testosterone.

The clinical symptoms of AS can be divided into three categories: sexual (erectile dysfunction, problems with libido, decrease in beard growth, feelings of ‘having passed the zenith of life’), psychological (feeling discouraged, depressed, irritable, anxious, nervous), and somato-vegetative (joint and muscle complaints, sweating, need for more sleep, sleep disturbances, weakness, exhaustion).

Heart failure increases with age. It has been noted that deficiencies of anabolic hormones are common in men with systolic heart failure, leading to reduced exercise capacity, depression and poor prognosis. But until now the impact of heart failure on the prevalence of AS and the severity of andropausal symptoms was not been studied.

Researchers compared the prevalence of AS and the severity of andropausal symptoms between 232 men with systolic heart failure aged 40-80 years and 362 age-matched healthy peers. The magnitude of andropausal symptoms (psychological, sexual and somato-vegetative) was assessed and diagnosed.

They found that AS affected almost one-third of men with heart failure, regardless of their age group. The surprising discovery was that in men specifically aged 40-59 years, heart failure led to a four-fold increase in the prevalence of AS (28% vs. 7%) and an increase in the severity of sexual and somato-vegetative andropausal symptoms. This was not seen in older men aged 60-80 years.

The authors concluded that heart failure accelerates the natural process of aging and favours early onset of AS. Professor Jankowska said: “Heart failure leads to anabolic hormone deficiencies at a relatively young age and thereby accelerates male aging and the development of AS. These patients have poor quality of life and need endocrinological and sexual counselling.”

This study adds more weight to preventing heart failure to maintain a good quality of life. By engaging in a healthy lifestyle, preventing heart failures also prevents the early onset of AS.